Many sprinters train their sprinting technique at home. There are myriad reasons for this, including lack of access to sprinting grounds or a gym, awkward schedules that disallow normal training routines or intense drive that leads a sprinter to train at any chance possible. Regardless of your reason, you have many options for at-home exercises that can significantly improve your sprinting speed.

Flexibility Exercises

Flexibility is essential to improving speed as well as to increasing or decreasing the length of your stride. Flexibility exercises will prepare you for the micro-management of your steps when you are actually sprinting. These exercises do not require much space and can easily be performed in most homes. Flexibility exercises should be done frequently in order for you to observe results on the track. Important exercises for flexibility are ankle rotations, calf stretches and glute and hamstring stretches.

Balance Exercises

Balance, while typically only emphasized for beginning sprinters, is crucial for sprinters of all levels. Balance is related to coordination and to the prevention of tripping or falling; both of these aspects imply greater speed. One useful balance exercise is standing on one foot with your eyes closed for as long as possible. A more advanced exercise involves standing on a balance board or a BOSU ball while performing upper body exercises.

Explosive Exercises

Explosive exercises are those that work the muscles of the parts of the body most involved during sprinting. Some examples of these exercises are tuck jumps, in which you squat and jump as high as possible, tucking your feet to your chest; lunge jumps, which are explosive jumps that begin from the lunge position and end in the lunge position with the opposite leg forward; and distance skips, in which you perform a skip with the goal of reaching the farthest possible distance. Perform three sets of 12 repetitions for each exercise.

Core Exercises

Although the emphasis of sprinting is typically on explosive power and not muscle building, a strong core will help you improve your sprinting speed. Not only will a stronger core allow you to train harder, but it will help you prevent injuries. A strong core will also allow you to maintain your balance and posture at higher speeds, allowing you to more easily maintain such speeds. Home exercises for the core include sit ups, squats and lunges.

References

About the Author

Having obtained a Master of Science in psychology in East Asia, Damon Verial has been applying his knowledge to related topics since 2010. Having written professionally since 2001, he has been featured in financial publications such as SafeHaven and the McMillian Portfolio. He also runs a financial newsletter at Stock Barometer.